This means no advancement.  I'm not sure when it started, but I've been playing the same lot since I created it a week or so ago - my first business - and while there have been job promotions, they've stopped.  For everyone.  

I have up to OFB installed and while I have a few hacks, they were there when the game was working fine.  I've even removed some stuff.  I've herd there's a hack that disables friend requirements for advancement, but that would make it too easy.  

I have the latest Insim, used it to make one Sim best friends with everyone on the lot - 7 - but when I go to the... job screen of my Sims, it shows only one friend.

Ahh, okay.  Wow, it really has been a while since I've played this...

But if 90 points is the max you can earn and you have 84, it would seem that the food decorations have already been calculated.  I mean, if I were only getting 30-50 points of 90, it would make more sense to buy expensive things, but... I've never had this problem before and I've tried it both by calling the guests first, calling the household, calling him directly... 4 nights in a row, I don't think I've ever been refused that much.

After more than a year and a half away from playing the game, I have recently reinstalled it and the first two packs - just like I had before - along with my saved games.  Things seem to work fine except that the Headmaster declines my application even when I have a score of 84 out of 90.  The house is clean, he seems impressed by things and enjoys the Salmon.  At first I had been using the "call all to dinner, but after reading that that was a mistake and reason for getting no points for food, I now call him through the "Entertain" button.  The first time, I was sure I was in with the new high score, but then admittedly, disappointed when he declined.

I never had this kind of problem before.

Oh, this is such an unexpected treat...